The present invention relates to an automatic milking apparatus comprising a milking equipment having at least one teatcup, a robot arm for attaching a teatcup to an animal""s teat, an animal identification means for allowing identification of an animal individual, and an animal space provided with an animal accepting/rejecting means associated with a control means, said control means being programmed to allow an animal substantially in the beginning of its lactation period to be milked more often than in a later stage thereof.
The present invention also relates to a method of controlling said automatic milking apparatus.
An apparatus and a method of this kind is known from EP-A-0 638 231. This document describes an automatic milking apparatus comprising a milking robot and a computer system. The beginning of the lactation period of an animal is stored in the computer system and the computer system is of such a design that, depending on the beginning of the lactation period of the animal, the animal is urged e.g. by means of electric shocks to go to the milking robot a certain number of times per day.
The known apparatus suffers from the drawback that it does not at all consider the variation in a lactation curve.
A lactation curve describes the variation in the milk production. If the number of milking times is dependent on this curve the milking will get more effective. A lactation curve is also different for different animals and different breeds. It could also vary between the individuals in a herd.
It is accordingly the object of the present invention to overcome the problem of the known apparatus.
This problem has been solved by an apparatus of the initially defined kind, which is characterised in that said control means is switchable between at least two stages of the lactation period, a first stage starting at the beginning of the lactation period, a last stage ending towards the end of the lactation period, said lactation period being divided into stages having a variable length of at least one day.
It has also been solved by a method of the initially defined kind, which is characterised by including switching, by means of said control means, between at least two stages of the lactation period, a first stage starting at the beginning of the lactation period, a last stage ending towards the end of the lactation period and dividing said lactation period into stages having a variable length of at least one day.
Hereby, it is possible to set a predetermined number of milkings for each stage. Such that the milking becomes more efficient.
Preferably, at least one animal individual is allowed a certain number of milkings per day at at least one stage of the lactation period, and another certain number of milkings per day at at least one other stage of the lactation period. Hereby, it is possible to control the number of milkings regarding each animal individual.
Suitably, said lactation period is divided into stages having a length of at least one day, which means that the length may be at least one week or at least one month. Of course, the stages need not have the same length. On the contrary, the length of one stage may be different from the length of another stage. Accordingly, one period may have the length of a number of days, another period of a number of weeks, and yet another period of a number of months. This is due to the curve of the lactation period.
Preferably, the length of said stages is automatically set based on reference values. Hereby, it is possible to let the apparatus work completely autonomously.
Suitably, the length of said stages is set manually. Hereby, it is possible to set the length of the stages for each animal individual.
Preferably, the length of each stage for the whole lactation period is set before the beginning of the first stage. Hereby, it is possible to set the length of the stages for a typical breed of animals.
Suitably, the length of said stage is adaptable during the lactation period. Hereby, it is possible to adapt the length of a stage, during the lactation period, for each animal individual.
Preferably, the length of said stages is determined by measurement of the amount of extracted milk from an animal during a at least one milking, a threshold value of the amount determining the end of said stage. Hereby, it possible to automatically change from one stage to another.
Suitably, the length of said stages is predetermined for at least a part of a herd. Hereby, it is possible to set the stages outgoing from different parameters of the herd, even if they are all e.g. in the beginning of the lactation period. Such a parameter may be the normal milk yield for a part of the herdxe2x80x94another part of the herd may have another normal milk yield. Another parameter may be the size of the udder.
Preferably, the allowed number of milkings per day increases in the beginning of the lactation period towards a maximum point. Furthermore, the allowed number of milkings per day decreases from said maximum point towards the end of the lactation period. The said decrease of allowed number of milkings per day is substantially continuous.
Hereby, the number of milkings will be adapted to a normal curve of the lactation period.
Suitably, the allowed number of milkings per day for an animal individual is not less than 1 milking per day and no more than 6 milkings per day. Hereby, the control means is given limits so that an animal individual is not forgotten to be milked or is milked too much, in which case the dairy maid should be alarmed by a suitable signal.
Preferably, said control means is programmed to allow said animal to be milked only after a minimum time interval from a previous milking. Hereby is prevented that an animal individual is milked the allowed number of milkings per day in a row, i.e. during a short period of time, which would result in that after the allowed number of milkings, that animal individual would not be milked again until the next day, which in turn could be very painful for the animal.
Suitably, said accepting/rejecting member is a gate allowing or preventing access to said animal space.
Preferably, said gate is adapted in a first position to accept access of said animal into said animal space, but to prevent access into a waiting area, and in a second position to accept access of said animal into a waiting area but to prevent access into said animal space. Hereby, the gate will select animals that are allowed to be milked from animals that are not allowed to be milked.
In the apparatus according to EP-A-0 551 957, the control means gives priority between animals, which means that in case two cows of different rank are identified substantially simultaneously, the cow of lower rank may be allowed to enter the milking stall before the cow of higher rank. This may cause a crowd of jostling and jamming cows at the entrance of the milking stall, which in turn causes inefficient use of the automatic milking apparatus.
The apparatus according to EP 0 638 231 does not at all consider the fact that two or more cows may simultaneously be standing close to the milking stall, wanting to enter the milking stall.
Animals that live in herds, such as cows, have a strict hierarchy over one another. Accordingly, in case a group of cows are standing close to the automatic milking machine, e.g. at the entrance gate of a milking stall, and two of them happen to be identified more or less simultaneously by an identification means arranged close to the entrance gate, the cow of higher rank in the hierarchy would normally enter the milking stall before the cow of lower rank.
According to the invention, an animal allowed to be milked and is standing at a first distance from said sensor, is given priority to enter said milking space in relation to an animal allowed to be milked and standing at a second distance from said sensor, said second distance being larger than said first distance. Hereby, as an animal of higher rank in the hierarchy will normally force itself to enter a milking stall before an animal of a lower rank, the animal of higher rank will be allowed to enter the milking stall, as it will then be standing closer to the milking stall.